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Bus Driver, Principal Accused Of Duct Taping Special Needs Student

CHILHOWEE, Mo. (CBS St. Louis) – A bus driver and principal are accused of duct taping a special needs student to restrain him.

According to the unnamed mother, the school bus driver and principal for Chilhowee School allegedly bounded her 5-year-old son’s hands with duct tape, according to KSHB-TV.

The police report states that witnesses saw the bus driver and the principal restrain the boy who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome.

“I don’t know what I would have done,” Shawn Hold, a father of another child at the school, told KSHB. “I think there ought to be criminal charges involved not only on the school bus driver but also on the school because they covered this up for at least a week.”

Another mother also complained that the same school bus driver threatened to seal her 8-year-old autistic son’s mouth with duct tape.

“I would not expect a professional in our school system to do that to a child,” Linda Lujan told WDAF-TV.

Chilhowee School District Superintendent Jeff Blackford issued a statement saying that the district takes these allegations very seriously and will investigate the matter thoroughly.

“We hold all our staff members to very high standards and we expect our staff to appropriately supervise and manage students at all times,” Blackford told KSHB.